In clash with Blackstone bridge, Minnesota truck driver loses

Neng Vang, of Minnesota, on far left, a driver for Lifetime Trucking, of Minnesota, watches as a crew from Sterry St. Tow Services work to remove his tractor trailer that crashed into the St. Paul Street railroad bridge in Blackstone early Wednesday morning. (PHOTO/Ernest A. Brown)

BLACKSTONE – Police closed portions of St. Paul Street early Wednesday after a tractor-trailer got stuck underneath a railroad bridge.

The truck got stuck about 8 a.m., forcing authorities to close St. Paul Street in both directions from the Blackstone Municipal Center at 15 St. Paul St. all the way up to Route 102 near North Smithfield line.

Nang Vang, a driver for Lifetime Trucking of Minnesota, was on his way to a Woonsocket mill to deliver a truckload of recycling cartons when his truck, which has a clearance of 13.6 feet, became wedged under the bridge, which has a clearance of only 11.8 feet.

No injuries were reported in the wreck, police said.

The road was reopened to traffic after the tractor-trailer was towed from the scene by Sterry Street Towing.